Getty Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after scoring the game winning touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Dallas Cowboys have won two NFC East division titles in the last 3 seasons. Jason Garrett notched his second postseason win with a 24-22 squeaker over the Seattle Seahawks. This upward trajectory has some thinking Dallas is on its way to larger success.
Enter Jason Witten, who stepped down from his post as color commentator on Monday Night Football Thursday. The former Cowboy captain will play his 16th NFL season next fall. Will Cain said on ESPN’s First Take that the move turns the Cowboys into “Super Bowl contenders.”
“What this is is a signal,” he said alongside Max Kellerman and Stephen A. Smith. “The Cowboys are all in on this window. Right. Now.”
Over the span of his career to this point, Witten has played in 239 games, catching 1,152 passes for 12,448 yards and 68 touchdowns. In a six-year stretch from 2007 to 2012, he topped 942 yards in each season while catching 94 or more passes in four of those years.
He has also appeared in 11 Pro Bowls.
“(Dallas owner) Jerry Jones and the Cowboys think that their window is open,” he said alongside Max Kellerman and Stephen A. Smith. “The Cowboys definitely needed a tight end. Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz…when you put them together, they did approximate the numbers Jason Witten did before his retirement.
“But that doesn’t come to really tell the story of what Jason Witten means to that team, and especially that offense. The guy is constantly open on third-and-6, third-and-7…it’s the ultimate safety blanket for Dak Prescott.”
Kellerman also noted the “veteran leadership” that Witten would provide.
Although a few of the young tight ends on the Cowboys roster showed glimpses of upside this past season, the production was inconsistent. Blake Jarwin led the way at the position, totaling 27 receptions for 307 yards and three touchdowns, but 119 of those yards and each score came in the team’s final game of the season.
Beyond Jarwin, Geoff Swaim caught 26 passes for 242 yards and one score while Dalton Schultz totaled 12 catches for 116 yards. Rico Gathers is a name who many had hoped to see break out, but he was unable to do much during the year, catching 3-of-7 targets for 45 yards.
Witten tallied 63 catches for 560 yards (8.9 yards per catch) and 5 touchdowns in 2017.
Jason Witten’s Contract With Cowboys
As Heavy’s Jeff Smith reported, “The Cowboys certainly gave their longtime tight end a solid financial reason to return to the team as well.” According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Witten’s new deal with the Cowboys is worth $3.5 million for this season.
Cowboys are giving their former and new tight end Jason Witten a one-year, $3.5 million contract, per sources.
Smith continued:
“Witten will step in to help an offense that is losing Cole Beasley and struggled mightily early in the year through the air. The Cowboys’ trade to acquire Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders helped their offense, and now pairing him with Witten will help the outlook of both players and Dak Prescott.”
According to Over the Cap, Dallas still has $49 million worth of cap space, giving them plenty of room to bolster the offense through free agency.